This article is a follow-up on a comment related to the Worlds and interworlds section of the article Ostad Elahi’s thought in 7 points. The question went thus: if our approach to spirituality is to be rational, where should we stand on the issue of worlds and the interworld? Must we blindly “believe” what we are told and view such concepts as mere revelation, or should we consider the possibility of their existence in a rational way?

One way of attempting a “rational” apprehension of worlds and the Interworld is to reflect on the notion of “absolute divine justice”. Let’s lay out the following alternative: either there is such a thing as divine justice (God is just), or it is mere fancy. Read more

The following poem is extracted from the Book of the Kings of Truth, written in 1919 by Ostad Elahi’s father, Hadj Nemat. Composed from more than 15000 verses, this book recounts the life of the saints, prophets, and great spiritual figures of humanity. Narrative sequences alternate with more meditative passages in the form of prayers, recommendations or invocations. An expression of Hadj Nemat’s mystical personality, of his unconditional love for the Divine and his relentless quest for the knowledge of spiritual truths, the Book of the Kings of Truth also tells something about the particular atmosphere which characterised Ostad Elahi’s early years.

In the poem entitled “Unfaithfulness of the World”, Hadj Nemat speaks his heart on the impermanence of the world. Read more

Pascal was right: proofs of the existence of God are of no avail when it comes to giving faith to the faithless. To realise that a divine scheme is at work in the universe requires more than rational arguments. What, then, is needed? In Knowing the Spirit (p. 45), Ostad Elahi provides the reader with a clue. He speaks of the voice of conscience as an inner device capable of attesting to the existence of God. Now, what does voice of conscience mean? Where does it come from and how exactly can it lead us to acknowledge the existence of God? Read more

In order to gauge the ethical quality of our conduct, there are many factors to be considered, such as the motivation and intention behind a certain course of action. But how does our intention matter, if in most cases we are not even sure what it is? In what sense can intention affect our spiritual growth? These are delicate issues. Here are some reflections from one of our readers that we found worth sharing.

In a world where we value results and often seek immediate gratification, it’s easy to lose sight of why we do the things we do. Sometimes, we act abruptly, habitually, and carelessly. In other words, we may not even realise the reality of the intentions behind our own actions. Read more

In elaborating proofs for God’s existence, oriental and occidental philosophers alike did not necessarily intend to instil faith in those who were lacking it. When he wrote chapter 1 of Knowing the Spirit, which deals exclusively with this very question, Ostad Elahi was well aware that none of the arguments he presented could actually prove anything to those who didn’t believe in God. About arguments that could be made to prove the existence of God to someone who did not believe in Him, he replied: “No such argument can be made. Let’s say that you present this person with all the conceivable arguments possible… in the end, he will say, ‘Fine, show me; show me God’. Everyone should reflect and deliberate on this matter and refer to their own heart as well, until they come to believe in the Source.” (Words of Truth, Vol. II, Saying 285). Read more

How come we feel so upset when our beliefs are not shared by others? Why should disagreement over our convictions get us so often into trouble with one another? How do we come to despise or detest someone only because they disagree with what we say? When our freedom of thought is not at stake, why should we resent being contradicted by someone who thinks differently?

Feeling annoyed, contemptuous, or even angry because someone thinks differently from us is decidedly an indication that our ego has been somehow hurt. “What? He doesn’t agree with me? How could that be?” Read more

In attempting to reconcile faith and reason, philosophers have produced what is traditionally called “proofs of the existence of God”. These proofs usually present themselves as sophisticated arguments. As such, they are open to disputation and, one must admit, hardly convincing. It is by reference to them that Pascal wrote: “The metaphysical proofs of God are so remote from the reasoning of men, and so complicated, that they make little impression; and if they should be of service to some, it would be only during the moment that they see such demonstration; but an hour afterwards they fear they have been mistaken.” (Pensées, 543)

What Pascal thus criticized was not the cogency of the proofs but their failure to win over genuine atheists. Experience had taught him that if the metaphysical proofs of God would probably confirm the faith of the believer, they could hardly ever convince an atheist. Even if they did—a possibility he could not totally dismiss—they would lead the person to acknowledge the existence of a prime Mover, or an intelligent and all-powerful Designer at the origin of all creation: a belief hardly likely to hold sway in face of the challenges of life. It takes more than the mere belief in the existence of a first Cause to make radical changes in one’s life; what is required is a compelling attraction towards such a Cause of causes, one that is likely to arouse a change of heart, as well as a change of behaviour directed at His satisfaction.
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Many years ago, I was reading a chapter in Bahram Elahi‘s The Foundations of Natural Spirituality when a paragraph leaped out and grabbed my attention.

“God is in everything, everywhere and with everyone. Whether in a dream or while we are awake, directly or indirectly, through the intermediary of His messengers or those who are loved by us, or through any other means—even a passerby in the street—He communicates with each one of us. But in order to hear Him and to understand Him, we must first learn how to decode His messages.” (The Foundations of Natural Spirituality, Bahram Elahi, page 18)

I realized in that moment that if I were to have my own intimate relationship with God, I needed to learn to decode His messages. It led to my making more and more determined efforts that I have related in my recently published book, Decoding The Spiritual Messages of Everyday Life. Read more

Virtue ethics, which can be traced back in western thought to the works of Plato and Aristotle, can be defined as an ethical approach that emphasises the character of the agent. Whereas consequentialism emphasises the consequences of the action (for example J. S. Mill’s utilitarianism), and deontological ethics the rules that one may follow (for example Kant’s categorical imperative, or the Ten Commandments), virtue ethics define a virtuous act by a certain virtue in the agent, such as benevolence or generosity.

Virtue ethics is not in conflict with deontological or consequentialist approaches, and can even be reconciled with them. The action driven by virtue ethics actually precedes the other two approaches: while deontological ethics or consequentialism addresses what is to be done in any given situation, virtue ethics focuses on the ways to develop certain virtues, or character patterns, in order to act well when needed. The main problem for virtue ethics, then, is 1) to define which virtues are desirable, and 2) how to develop them.

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The purpose of life? To reach perfection, Ostad Elahi answers. To lead your soul to maturity, a state in which you perfectly control your impulses while respecting your very nature. A state that is the prime condition of inner freedom. Granted, perfection is to be attained, but how? Through action, Ostad Elahi insists, and he reminds us that in this matter as in many others, “practice makes perfect.” For while thinking and talking may awaken the desire to change and may help us find ways that can lead to this change, contemplating a virtue is not enough to actually develop one. It is imperative that action take over from words and lead to practice. But not just any kind of practice.

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